A Changing Demon
by IkutosGirl
Summary: Bakura can't risk hurting Ryou and he leaves. Ryou can't live without Bakura. Bakura's losing himself without Ryou. So what's keeping them apart? More importantly, what can bring them back together? One thing; danger. **Sequel to A Falling Angel**
1. Thank You's!

_**THANK YOU!~**_

**Here's a list of my gratitude:**

_Thank you for voting!:_

Nereni Chan; sunokofairytale; SheepAteMyFanBoys; SpiritSong; sorathestar; Affy-Bakura; siera-g; VampiricWriter.

_Thank you for reviewing!:_

siera-g; sunokofairytale; SpiritSong; SheepAteMyFanBoys; YamiBakura1988; sorathestar; VampiricWriter; Silver880; animeperson798; Affy-Bakura; Cayannamon; Kiara victory Tatsu; NightmareTroubador; MilleniumHeart794; Nereni Chan; subaru1999.

_Thank you for either Alerting or Faving!:_

siera-g; SheepAteMyFanBoys; YamiBakura1988; ZexionVI 088; sorathestar; SkaleFlapper15; SilverMoonKitty; Silver880; Seto K4iba1; KrissyFitzer; Fallen Crystal; MoonBlueSpiritFire1; badgerkitty313; animeperson798; Affy-Bakura; Cayannamon; Kiara victory Tatsu; MilleniumHeart794; Nereni Chan; SpiritSong; VampiricWriter.

**You all were so supportive, and with a great feeling of accomplishment, I was able to end A Falling Angel!~ But now, the story must go on, so with pleasure I present to you:**

_**A Changing Demon**_


	2. Chapter 1

IkutosGirl: So here is part 2 of my story!

Bakura: Let me guess what it's called! Is it… umm… I know! It's called-!

Ryou: -A Changing Demon.

Bakura: Why you! *Is seething*

IkutosGirl: They already knew that anyways.

Bakura and Ryou: …oops. ^^;

IkutosGirl: Anyways, you guys, enjoy!~

Bakura's POV

I was almost there…I had to be almost there.

All I had done was running as I left Ryou, hoping the Pharaoh would find him soon. All my legs had wanted to do was stop, turn around, and return to my hikari.

My hikari?

I don't think I deserved to call Ryou that anymore.

Even as all of these thoughts and regrets swirled through my head I kept running. First I would get back to our -no Ryou's- place. Then I would gather my things and leave. Even just the thought of leaving Ryou alone made me feel guilty, but I had to. I couldn't live with myself hurting Ryou; he deserved much better than me.

I was there. I climbed the stairs quickly, skipping a few here and there. Reaching the door I pulled out the spare key from under the floor mat. I unlocked the door and dashed inside, going straight to my…no is wasn't mine anymore… room. I grabbed my duffel bag from the closet. Ryou had given it to me when we went to an anime convention and had to stay in a hotel.

Clothes went first; he had told me, because they were easy to squish. Then fragile things went next, like glass or things that broke easily. Finally, you were to put any other things you needed anywhere you could, and ta-da, you were done.

By the time I was done packing my hands were shaking and I felt like letting a few tears fall down my cheek; they wouldn't. My 'pride' wouldn't allow any to fall anymore.

I walked around the apartment, finding things here and there that I would want to take with me. I found a picture of Ryou and me; him smiling to himself and myself with my ever-lasting smirk. There were other pictures too, but they didn't seem as happy as the one I was looking at, so I didn't take them.

Food…I would probably need some. I grabbed some Top Ramen from a cabinet and stuffed them into the front pocket of my duffel bag. There was only one thing left that I needed to take…

I walked into Ryou's room, staring at the golden object intently. My soul was screaming at me to take it with me; like as if I would need it. Still, my mind couldn't find a valid point in taking it at all. My heart…it didn't have an opinion anymore.

Listening to my head, I walked away from the Millennium Ring. It would stay; it had to stay. It would be Ryou's last connection to me.

There was only one issue left for me to deal with. Where was I going now?

Yami's POV 

Pharaoh? The title had ringed clearly in my ears. It sounded much like Bakura, so I raced forward in the direction the call had come from.

Still, I was secretly annoyed; I thought we had come to a some-what-truce…what with the names and such.

I reached where I would have figured Bakura would have been. I could see someone on the floor, across the street. What were the chances…

I ran across the asphalt and made my way over to the body. I wanted to gasp, but no sound would come out. Ryou was on the ground. There was blood everywhere. He was unconscious.

So many things were rushing through my head. Who had done this? Were they dead or nearby? I think the most important question would have to be was Ryou still even…alive? I put two fingers on Ryou's neck, crouching down next to him.

A pulse.

Finally I was able to sigh in relief. First things first; I had to find somewhere for Ryou and myself for the time being. Who lived near here? We were in such a dingy area…Joey! Joey lived around here! But his was his father home? The only way to find out would be to call everyo-

"Yug'!" Wow; perfect timing.

Joey ran up to me along with Tristan. I was about to ask him where Tea and Duke were but he answered me.

"Tea had to go home because of curfew. Duke said his pretty eyes were too tired." Joey said the last part with a bit of personal annoyance, but I let it go.

"Is your father home Joey?" I asked him promptly.

Joey looked like he was thinking. "I don't think so…in fact, I'm positive he's not."

I wanted to ask why, but I knew now was not the time. Everyone knew Joey's father had problems… I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Joey I have to take Ryou to your house for awhile. Is that alright?" I asked and Joey looked confused.

I pointed to Ryou and Joey and Tristan both were taken aback. I picked up Ryou before they could say anything. Joey saw what I was doing and we walked in the direction of his house.

"Why is Ryou like that?" Tristan asked Joey under his breath.

Joey replied with a shrug and he glanced behind his shoulders at me and Ryou and turned back around. He whispered another question to Joey, and this time Joey looked mad. I was about to ask what they were talking about when Joey clenched his fist.

"I don't know Tristan, but it's _very_ likely." Joey seethed and I was about 99.8% sure about what they were talking about.

They thought Bakura had done this, and that was why he was not here.

We reached Joey's house before I could start up an argument. Joey led me into his bedroom and motioned for me to lay Ryou on his bed. We all began to clean his wounds.

After about an hour of cleaning and patching the smell of alcohol soaked the room, but we were done. Everyone was tired; it must have been past midnight. I grabbed a blanket from the closet and laid myself down on the floor in Joey's room. The other's followed routine and we all fell asleep quickly.

Crying.

I woke up to crying. Was it 3, or maybe 4, in the morning? The sound had changed to whimpering and I scanned the room, looking for the light switch. I found it and flicked it upwards. Immediately light flooded the room, and surprisingly Joey and Tristan still slept.

If they were sleeping…Ryou. I walked quickly over to the bed, making sure not to step on anyone or anything. Ryou was curled up in ball under the bed sheets. I lifted the bed sheets slowly and looked at Ryou. He was shaking like a leaf.

Ryou looked at me with haunting eyes, filled with hurt. He tried to talk and finally a tortured whisper escaped his lips.

"Y-Yami…where's Bakura?"

IkutosGirl: Yay for chapter 1! Or is it chapter 20…I'll just go with 1~

Ryou: Bakura! Bakura! Where are you?

IkutosGirl: Ryou stop screaming!

Ryou: **You're screaming too!**

IkutosGirl: **No I'm not!**

Ryou: **YES YOU ARE!**

IkutosGirl: **NO I'M-**

Bakura: _**STFU!**_

Ryou and IkutosGirl: …O_O

Bakura: Thank you.


	3. Chapter 2

IkutosGirl: Pick a number between 1 and 10!~

Ryou: 27.

IkutosGirl: You are such a mood killer! D:

Bakura: He is not! He's just a bit…bland.

Ryou: Gee, thanks.

Bakura: No problem!

Ryou's POV

I already knew the answer, to an extent. It would be sad one; one that I would be happy to live without hearing, but I knew I had to listen.

"Are you hungry, Ryou?" Yami asked earnestly.

Avoiding the subject? That wouldn't work.

"Where's Bakura?" I asked again, having more strength in my voice than last time.

Yami looked at me with pity. "You know, it's pretty early…we should go back to bed." He said in a soft voice.

"Yami, just tell me." I begged and he sighed.

"Fine…" Yami took a deep breath. "I have no clue where Bakura is, but…"

"But what?" I asked, fervently.

"…he left you all alone…we think he's…gone."

Gone? No…no…he wasn't _gone._ He was…he was…no…

"G-gone?" The word came out as a silent shriek.

"After all we had gone through he was _gone?_ Bakura wouldn't do that…he said he…and I told him…"

It was as if I was pleading to the gods. None of this made sense! I broke down, crying. Yami just sat down next to me, unsure of what to do.

*-.-.-*

It had been 4 hours, and now it was 9 in the morning. I hadn't slept a wink but I wasn't tired. Then again, I wasn't energetic either…I wasn't really _anything_ I suppose. Yami had been more lost than ever, unsure of what to do, so he let Yugi take the lead for awhile.

Yugi had tried to get me to eat something, but I had declined every time.

"Ryou, what do you want to do?" Yugi whined.

I pondered on the question for only a second before answering. "I want to go home."

It was true. I wanted to lie in my bed and relax, but another part of me wanted to go there for a different reason; to see if Bakura was there. Of course he wasn't, and I knew I shouldn't let my hopes get too high.

"That's fine, but Yami says you have to let us stay at your place for awhile." Yugi said.

Hmm, that wasn't that bad of a deal. "That's okay with me."

With that, I made way to the front door of Joey's house and started walking in the general direction of my house.

"Ryou where are you going?" Yugi called after me.

I called back with nonchalance. "I'm walking; to clear my head!"

Bakura's POV

Walking up the gravel path, I felt absolutely _stupid_. I finally made it to the double-front door and picked up the brass knocker. Slamming it back on the door, I heard the inner wood crack. Immediately someone came running to the doors, probably worried I was a burglar. The door was pulled open forcefully, revealing a tan teenager with blond hair.

"What do you- Ryou?" The Egyptian asked in confusion.

I sighed in annoyance. "You idiot, do I look like Ryou, Malik!" I asked.

"Ooooh, you're Bakura!" Malik exclaimed, laughing. "Come in, come in."

I walked inside, making my way over to the nearest chair and plopping myself down in it. I was tired; after all I had gone more than 24 hours without sleep.

"Sooo, what brings you here?" Malik asked, trying not to sound too interested, but his eyes gleamed with mischievous intent.

"Problems." I said flatly, not in any mood whatsoever to explain. "Can I stay here for awhile?"

I knew it wasn't a big deal, but I felt peeved at myself for asking for a favor, especially one from Malik. Still, he didn't really have any choice but to say yes. This house was huge, and it must have had plenty of spare rooms. And it wasn't like anyone was going to object and say-

"No."

I stared at Malik in shock, and felt the anger rise in me. So it took something so little to set me of now, eh?

"Why the hell not?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

Malik didn't respond and he was looking down at the floor. Suddenly he started snickering, eventually laughing.

"I was j-just kidding!" Malik's voice rose with his laughter. "Of course you can stay!"

The anger I had felt seconds ago left me.

"Still, you looked pretty pissed-." Malik started, but then his features changed drastically. "You looked like your old self."

Marik laughed too now, but his laugh held more cruelty in it; as always.

"I thought you were…" I began in surprise.

Marik laughed again. "Gone; dead? No, I can't be defeated that easily."

It was a shock to say at the very least. I suddenly felt uneasy about staying here. Marik wouldn't be a very good influence on my easily-enraged soul right now.

With another chuckle Marik sat down in another chair next to me. I didn't like him being too close to me, but it wasn't something that bothered me enough to make me move.

"So, how's Ryou doing? Can he hear me?" Marik asked, tapping the side of my head.

Marik's questions confused me, but then realization hit me. He didn't know about _anything_ that was going on. In a way, he was just an outsider.

"Well actually…"

I explained to Marik all that had happened. I pretty much just used the same explanation that Ryou had given me, except at the end I added how I had killed the other half of his soul and left him in the hands of the Pharaoh.

"Damn…you lucky bastard." Marik finally said and the rage came back.

Lucky? How the hell was I lucky?

Marik continued. "I wouldn't mind having my own body. Everything sounds so much easier-."

I punched Marik square in the jaw. He sprawled off of his chair and onto the floor. He looked pissed.

"I'm _not_ lucky." I said and walked up one of the two staircases in the house.

I opened a random room, and thankfully it was a spare bedroom. I walked in and slammed the door behind me. I dropped myself onto the bed and sighed, whispering to myself.

"You have no clue how unlucky I am. I'm envious of you Marik…you have it a lot better than me."

IkutosGirl: Dang Bakura, you're on your way to becoming emo.

Ryou: ~Dear Diary, mood; apathetic.~

Bakura: Shut up. My head hurts like hell.

IkutosGirl: ~My life is spiraling downward…~

Bakura: Why can't you have an off button?

IkutosGirl: …

Bakura: …

IkutosGirl: …your face! :P

Bakura: What that doesn't even-?

IkutosGirl: Next chapter comes out Thursday, yay!~

Bakura: T^T


	4. Chapter 3

IkutosGirl: I forgot about the Disclaimer…

Ryou: The what?

IkutosGirl: It's like an ironic way of telling people you don't own what you wish you could.

Ryou: Well that's not very fair.

IkutosGirl: Alas, life is never fair anymore. Hit it, Bakura.

Bakura: Alysia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything else licensed that is mentioned in this story…

IkutosGirl: T_T Cruel world!

Ryou's POV

I had said I was walking to think over everything, but that was a lie. I just wanted to be able to cry without someone seeing me breaking down. I was already running now. Maybe if I got there before Yugi I could lock him out…

I got to the apartment in less than 10 minutes; a record time. I reached under the door mat once I made my way up the stairs. I searched under the mat, picking it up again and again, but the key wasn't there.

Strange…

I should have my key with me anyways-yep, I had it. I pulled my key out of my pocket and placed in the lock, turning it clockwise. Right as I took my first step, Yugi had pulled up on a motorcycle with Tristan. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Yugi jump off the motorcycle and wave goodbye as he left.

I turned my attention back to the living room in front of me. Yugi made his way up the stairs cheerfully but that didn't really matter to me anymore.

"Something is…" I began, my voice lower than a whisper, yet Yugi still heard me.

"What is it, Ryou?" Yugi asked, looking worried.

I blinked a few times until Yugi's question made sense. "Something is _wrong_." I frantically ran into the middle of the apartment.

Things were missing, misplaced, and some even scattered. I noticed my favorite picture of Bakura and me was missing too before I ran into the kitchen. Some food was missing, but not much. I noticed the lack of Top Ramen and my heart sank.

That was Bakura's favorite food; he loved the convenience.

Yugi had been staring at me, completely shaken by my behavior when Yami took his place. Instead of intervening in my mental breakdown he just observed me quietly. I ran past Yami and made my way to Bakura's room as he just stood there; thinking to himself.

The door was closed and I reached for the knob. I hesitated…

What was behind the door? A giant mess? Probably. Bakura? Most likely, no.

I shook away all of my excuses on why _not_ to open the door and turned the knob. The door slid open easily and I gasped; or at least tried to. The room was a mess, or at least what was left of it was. Just by glancing in the room I could tell a lot of things.

The closet was practically empty, someone had taken a pillow from the bed, and Bakura was _not_ here.

I fell onto my knees, my frame shaking with tears. Yami walked over to me finally, picking me up and leading me to my room. Another choked cry wracked me as I stared in front of me.

Bakura had left me with the Millennium Ring.

Malik's POV

"All done!~" I cried cheerfully as I set the dinner table.

"_You are such a girl."_ Marik complained.

I pouted; it wasn't my fault that Ishizu was away on an expedition. I noticed the pouting probably wasn't helping me prove my point and straightened my face. I made my way over to the staircase next to Bakura's temporary room.

"Bakura! Dinner is ready!" I called, but got no response. "Bakura! You have to eat! You're already skin and bones as it is!"

Marik snickered at my comment, but I had said it fully aware that it would get Bakura mad. If he got mad at me he would have to at least leave the room to beat me to a pulp. After a minute I noticed I didn't get a response from Bakura. I frowned and ran up the stairs.

I was about to pound on the door when I heard laughter come from inside the room. It wasn't a 'that-was-really-funny' laugh though; it was an 'I-am-god-now' kind of laugh. I picked the lock quietly and opened the door slowly. I only allowed the space in between the door and its frame to be about an inch apart. I peeked inside and my mouth fell agape.

Bakura was laying flat on his back on the bed. His face was covered by his hand and his body was shaking…with laughter. He had a twisted smirk on his face.

"_Well that's not surprising."_

I nearly jumped at Marik's voice. _"What do you mean? He looks like the definition of twisted!"_

"_Ha! You have really bad memory don't you? That's how he __**always**__ used to act!"_

Marik laughed inside my head and I closed the door slowly. I sighed; Marik was right. I just thought that Bakura was different now…though I don't know why.

I decided on not confronting Bakura about this, or at least not for now. I knocked on the door and I could hear Bakura stand up from the bed. Surprisingly, when he opened the door his face was emotionless.

"_Still the master of deception I see…" _Marik mused and I ignored him.

"What is it?" Bakura asked, his voice sounding completely normal.

I stared at him for a second, but then I came to my senses. "Dinner is ready downstairs."

Bakura looked at me with a suspicious look but he shrugged it off and replied with a short 'ok'. I made my way back downstairs and into the dining room. Bakura followed me, but I couldn't hear his footsteps. I stopped walking for a moment and so did Bakura. I began walking again, but still he made no sound on my hardwood floors.

What was going on with him?

IkutosGirl: So I won't be home tomorrow so I'm uploading this chapter a day early!~

Bakura: Obviously.

IkutosGirl: . Anyways, that reminds me. Does anyone know what Bakura was doing when he was following Malik? It's not a magic trick or anything special, I even do this to my cousins sometimes.

Ryou: I know what it is! Bakura was-!

IkutosGirl: Shh! No you'll spoil it!

Ryou: B-but I know!

IkutosGirl: It's okay Ryou, I know you do. *pats his head*


	5. Chapter 4

IkutosGirl: Alright here's chapter 4, and I didn't type it all up last night!~

Ryou: No one asked that.

IkutosGirl: *glares* You saw nothing. *fades away*

Bakura: Wait, who's doing the disclaimer?

Ryou: I guess one of us has to…

Bakura: Well I'm not doing it again!

Ryou: Fine! …Alysia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the characters in this story.

Yami's POV

I stared at the Millennium Ring in confusion. Why had he left the Ring? Of all the things to do, Bakura had left the Millennium Ring, his most treasured possession!

I continued to lead Ryou to his bed but he ran out of my arms. He snatched the Ring into his hands and held it to his chest. Collapsing onto his bed, he held the Ring in front of his face, staring at it intently. Suddenly Ryou sat up and put the Ring around his neck, pulling out his hair from beneath the cord.

Now I was staring at Ryou. What was he trying to do? Nothing was making sense! The apartment was a mess, Bakura was nowhere to be found, and the last thing you would think of Bakura leaving was here; his Ring!

My head was hurting from all the questions that were circling through my mind, so I sat down next to Ryou. He had stopped crying and I patted him on the head reassuringly. Sadly, he burst into tears after my action.

"_Yami, what were you thinking? Bakura probably used to always comfort Ryou like that!"_ Yugi scolded me.

I winced and put my hand in my lap. I wanted to sigh, but that would make me seem rude and uninterested in everything, which I was most definitely not.

I decided I should try to comfort Ryou through words.

"Look Ryou, I don't know why Ba-."

Ryou cut me off. "I know why." He said, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes.

I sat there, in shock and with my mouth hanging open.

"Why?" I asked, unable to find a different way to ask.

Ryou looked up at me with a small smile gracing his lips. I continued to sit there in awe with my hands in my lap. Ryou cleared his throat and wiped his eyes again.

"He wants me to know he doesn't hate me."

"But…" I whispered, barely making a sound.

How could Ryou be so sure? What if Bakura had…different intentions for keeping the Ring with Ryou? I didn't like that particular scenario, but it was unfortunately plausible. No one knew what had happened between Bakura and Ry-

What had happened; no one knew. No one except for Ryou! He could explain this all to everyone! Ryou knew why Bakura left. Ryou knew what Bakura's current state of mind was. And hopefully, Ryou would be able to figure out where Bakura was!

"Ryou," I began. "I have a question…"

Ryou looked at me again, confusion clouding his eyes. "What is it?"

"Could you tell me what happened between you and Bakura before he…left?" I struggled to say the sentence correctly; it wasn't an easy question to answer.

Ryou winced, but looked thoughtful before taking a deep breath.

"…okay."

Bakura's POV

I followed Malik down the stairs quietly. Occasionally he would stop, glance at me, and continue on. I gave him a look as if to say 'what-the-hell-is-it-now?' every time he repeated the process. After another 20 stairs we made it to the bottom and began toward the dining room. I wasn't really hungry, but _apparently_ I didn't have an option.

I sat down in a random seat and grabbed a fork. I noticed we were eating steak and I readied my fork for the stabbing. Just when I was about to start eating, my hunger making an appearance, Malik started muttering to himself. I stared at him incredulously while he kept his eyes closed and hands folding.

"_You pray now?_" I asked with shock plaguing my voice.

This was just too much. Malik was actually praying and even more appalling, Marik was _letting him_. Malik finished his prayer and when he opened his eyes they were trained on me.

"Yeah, occasionally, but usually just when I eat." He replied with a shrug.

I knew my mouth was gaping now. "But _why?_ There is no god, and you of all people should know that!" I said to Malik.

"Look, I don't know if there is a god or not, but I know that there is someone out there who is stronger than me and able to keep me safe, and that is enough!" Malik defended himself.

"Ha!" I snorted. "The closest person to being 'god' on this planet will be me."

Malik stared at me, perplexed. "Wait…what?"

For a second I didn't know how to respond. Why had I even said that? Was I really depleting this quickly…

"Never mind." I muttered and strengthened my grip on the fork.

"Bakura, if anything is bothering you-." Malik tried to comfort me.

I shot him a glare and he shut his mouth. "I said never mind."

We ate our dinner in silence. It was unrelentingly awkward and it took all of my self control not to mutilate the steak in front of me. After I had finished, which was much quicker then Malik who still had a fourth of his dinner left, I stared at my plate.

Should I just stand up and leave? Should I give the plate to Malik? Should I take it to the kitchen? Really, none of this really mattered and I knew that. Ryou had always finished before me and then he would wait for me, offering to take my plate afterwards…

I shook my head and stood up from my seat. "The plate; what do I do with it?" I asked Malik, trying to sound uncaring of the whole situation.

Malik laughed quietly and stared up at me with humor in his eyes. "Well you could wash it," I cringed. "Or you could just simply let me take-."

"You take it." I replied without a single thought.

Malik laughed again. "Fine, fine; I'll do it."

I glared at Malik, feeling annoyed. "Whatever." And I dashed up the stairs.

IkutosGirl: Pregnant.

Yami: Definitely.

Ryou: What are you guys talking about?

IkutosGirl: Ryou, I don't know how to break it to you…Bakura is-

Bakura: *walks in* What the hell are you telling him?

IkutosGirl: N-nothing.

Yami: I thought we were telling him Bakura was pregnant because he's so moody.

Bakura: What?

IkutosGirl: No you've done it Yami. T^T


	6. Chapter 5

IkutosGirl: Hehe, I was watching YGOTAS and Malik and Bakura were singing 'Stand By Me'.

Ryou: Bakura was singing?

IkutosGirl: Yep, but then he died because Marik killed him.

Bakura: Marik killed me?

Marik: *runs in* Wait, Bakura I can explain-!

Bakura: Like Isis you can!

Ryou: *shakes head* Disclaimer: Alysia doesn't own anything; stop asking already.

Ryou's POV

It was already too late for dinner, but I still made a quick sandwich to satisfy my stomach. The last thing I wanted was to wake up in the middle of the night hungry.

After eating my sandwich I threw away the trash and cleaned the plate quietly. Making my way back to my room, I tried my best to ignore the squeaking hardwood floors under my feet. I was passing through the living room when I heard a sound.

"Ryou..."

I froze in my place.

"Ryou, can you hear me?" The voice asked quietly.

I shook with fright, but stood my ground. "Who's t-there?" I asked; my voice barely above a whisper.

"Who's there? It's me, Yami." With that Yami sat in the couch where he had been laying.

I blushed with embarrassment and walked over to Yami.

"You really scared me you know..." My voice trailing off, hoping Yami wouldn't ask why.

Yami had a perplexed look on his face. "Why would I calling your name scare you? Do people whisper your name on a regular basis or something." With that Yami laughed.

I laughed along with a faint edge in my voice. It wasn't like it was a regular basis...it was just occasional...much, _much_ too occasional. Unfortunately, Yami noticed the tone of my laugh and gave me a concerned look.

"Ryou, is there something you want to talk about maybe?" Yami asked me.

I sighed and made my way over to the couch. I sat down in it, not even making a sound as the fabric stretched to accommodate me. I took another deep breath and looked at Yami nervously.

"This is a long story..." I said, hoping he would suddenly lose interest in the subject.

Yami looked at me understandingly. "It's okay Ryou, I'll still listen."

I sighed again. "Here goes nothing."

Malik's POV

I stared after Bakura has he fled from the room. I had only been joking...had I upset him?

"_Somebody's moody!~"_

I glared at empty plate, wishing it to become Marik. "Lay off." I said aloud and stood up from my seat.

I gathered Bakura's plate and mine and made my way to the kitchen. I washed the dishes quickly, not really in the mood to inspect them for any spots I'd missed. I sighed loudly as I put away the two plates in the cabinet. I made my way to the stairs, trudging up them one by one.

Bakura sure knew how to confuse someone.

I was walking past Bakura's door when I decided I might as well check on him.

"_And mentally scar yourself? I think not."_

With that Marik took the lead and knocked on the door himself.

"_Yeah, big difference that is going to make!"_ I yelled through our mind link.

Honestly, Marik always insisted upon the most unimportant things. Still, maybe Marik handling the conversation seemed like a slightly better option than me. After all, Marik was probably more...accustomed...to this 'kind' of Bakura.

"Come in." The sound was muffled, but Marik caught it and opened the door, or at least attempted to.

Marik grunted in frustration. "It's locked, idiot."

I could hear the shuffling of footsteps and then the click of the knob unlocking. Marik opened the door quickly, but Bakura was already lying on his bed. Strangely enough he was on his stomach with his head stuffed between two pillows, as if to keep out all the sounds in the world.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marik asked, not wasting any time to criticize his friend.

Bakura looked up at Marik, raising an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

I could tell Marik was staring at Bakura with disbelief, and I was too. Marik walked up to Bakura and yanked the pillows out of Bakura's grasp.

"I'll ask again. What were you attempting to do, shield your head from little voices?" Marik's voice was soaking with sarcasm and mock interest.

Bakura glared at Marik and reached for the pillows. Just when Bakura was about to grab them in his hands he clutched his head. Bakura wasn't just wincing, he looked like he was trying his hardest not to cream in pain.

"_Marik, let me take over."_ I demanded.

"_No way, if he goes nuts he'll hurt you first._" I sighed.

"_We both know you won't let that happen."_ With that I pushed Marik into the furthest corner of my mind.

Marik had willingly given up his control though, I could tell. There had been close to none resistance.

Hesitating at first, I placed my hand on Bakura shoulder. I wasn't sure if I should pat it reassuringly or just keep it there so I did nothing at first.

"_Great help you are."_ Marik commented sarcastically.

I swear, if only I could slap him. "_Shut it._" I focused again on Bakura.

He was still clutching his head... I decided to just pat him on the back while I sat down next to him. Honestly, something had to be wrong with Bakura.

"Nothing's wrong with me." Bakura said through his teeth, gritting them.

I stared at Bakura in shock. "Did you just read my mind?"

Bakura looked like he was recovering and released his head from his personal death grip. Before dropping himself back onto the bed he grabbed my hand and literally threw it at me. Bakura raised his head and he looked like he was back to normal, if you could call it that.

"You aren't an idiot; you're moronic." Bakura stated, locking his gaze with mine. "You were talking aloud."

I stared at Bakura, and I felt my face turn red. Bakura turned his head and I dropped my gaze.

"_Nice one."_ Marik said smoothly and I wanted to glare at him.

Bakura turned back to me, and thankfully I had recovered. "What are you even doing here?"

How could he... he was acting so calm about it! It was as if he hadn't been in pain ready to fall on the floor, screaming just seconds ago.

"_We are so screwed._" Marik whispered deathly in my ear. _"Tell him it was nothing and leave."_

"_What do you mean?"_ I asked, not sure what Marik meant.

Marik replied quickly. _"Malik, if this guys snaps, we are as good as __**dead.**_"

IkutosGirl: Marik, you are so dramatic!~

Malik: I know, isn't he funny?~

Marik: ...

IkutosGirl: Don't tell me you were serious...

Marik: Would I lie to you?

Malik: Weeell-

Marik: Ignore I asked that.

*Special thanks to Nereni Chan for helping me finish the story on time!~*


	7. Chapter 6

IkutosGirl: Yay for chapter 5!~

Bakura: This is chapter 6...

IkutosGirl: That's what I said, 6!~

Bakura: Oh come on! There is solid proof 3 lines above me that you said '5'.

IkutosGirl: *le gasp* Bakura, did you just break the fourth wall?

Bakura: Oh Ra...You know what? Alysia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh so let's get this over with.

Bakura's POV

My question lingered in the air awkwardly. I focused on Malik more closely and realized he had a look on his face that screamed 'I-am-in-distress!' I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth, ready to say something, when Malik suddenly began to laugh.

In between fits of giggles I made out the words 'please', 'you're just overreacting', and 'he's fine'; or at least that was what I just barely made out. Malik _finally_ regained his composure and cleared his throat, only to stare blankly at me.

_Yay for short-term memory._

I sighed and repeated my question. "Why are you here?"

"Oh!" Malik cried in recognition of my question as his face took on a thoughtful expression. "I came here to see if you were alright. You seemed pretty upset downstairs."

It was my turn to stare blankly. "Oh _please_, that was it? Way to waste my ti-"

The ringing filled my head and I stopped mid-sentence. The incessant, horrific sound had been coming and going at its own will for the last half hour. I winced, but didn't feel the urge to clutch my head or use the pillow to cover my head...yet. I lowered my eyes, not wanting Malik to notice the wincing.

"Bakura...are you okay...?" Malik asked hesitantly.

Malik's question didn't truly register in my head as the ringing grew. I didn't know what it meant, and that alone frustrated me.

Malik took a step toward me. "Bakura...is your head hurting again? I could get some ice or maybe..."

Malik continued rambling and his voice was growing increasingly annoying. In fact, Malik was becoming more of a problem than the ringing...

"_Why not shut him up then?"_

My head shot up partially, my face becoming somewhat visible. Had I thought that? I wasn't sure. The ringing made it hard to think, that and not to mention the noise coming from Malik's throat.

"_Then maybe thinking will become easier once the noise is gone."_

Was I really considering this? Everything was so confusing. I didn't know what I wanted to do...

"_And let's not forget about the Millennium Rod."_

The Millennium Rod...Malik had it with him. It would be simple to just take it... I raised my head and stared at the Millennium Rod.

"_While the chance is here, why not take it?"_

I noticed Malik had stopped talking but the sound would come back eventually, and then again and again and again...but I could stop that cycle easily.

If I really did take the Rod the next I would need would be the Ring-

The Ring was with Ryou.

Ryou...

The ringing died down and I noted Malik's worried expression, bordering fear. "Malik," I began.

"Y-yes, Bakura?" Malik stuttered.

I covered my face with one hand and waved at him with the other. "Leave now." I commanded.

Malik stared at me with shock and I removed my hand from my face, revealing my cold stare and hard face. Malik stared at me with wide eyes, a shiver obviously running down his back.

Malik was already turning on his heel but turned towards me one last time. "If you need anything-"

"I won't." I interrupted him.

Malik grumbled a 'well then' but gave me an _almost_ pitiful look, he was lucky it was an 'almost', and left the room quietly.

Great, now I was alone again.

Ryou's POV

The voices- or to be correct- the voice, in my head was probably the hardest thing for Yami to comprehend. He asked the same questions over and over again.

When did it all start? What did you do? How did you deal with it? How did it all end?

I answered all of the questions still, no matter how deeply they dug into my heart. Yami finally ran out of questions to ask. I sighed in relief and I had to admit; I felt somewhat better. Or maybe better wasn't the proper description...lighter was a better word to use. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

In fact I felt as if I could laugh, to an extent, again. Yami gave me a small smile but he looked like he was deep in thought. I stood up to leave, after all I was tired, but Yami grabbed my shoulder and sat me back down.

I stared at Yami in confusion. "Yami, what is it...?"

"Ryou, you left something out, didn't you." Yami looked at me with eyes full of knowing.

Crap, he caught me.

I had left out the...incident...with the man in the alley. That part would be too much for Yami to hear; hell, it was hard for me to even think about!

"Well I...no, not me...but..." I couldn't form a sentence anymore.

Yami gripped my hand and looked at me reassuringly. "You can tell me anything, Ryou."

I gulped and took a deep breath. "Well...the first time I 'ran away' I...had an encounter...with someone."

Yami looks at me with concern. "Did they hurt you? Were you okay?"

Oh my...was this ironic punishment for what I had done? Yami had the wrong idea; _completely wrong idea._

"Yami...it's the other way around..." Yami looked at me with one of the most perplexed expressions I'd ever seen on his face.

"Ryou...what did you do?" I cringed at his words.

They weren't meant to be hurtful or mean, but they stung. _What had __**I **__done?_ I wanted to get this over with, right now.

"I killed him! I ruthlessly killed him with my own hands! He was drunk, he didn't know what he was doing, but _I did_ and I still cut him up! And then I licked the blood clean off the knife too!"

Yami stared at me in shock. Then, as if he was reenacting my fears, he stood up and walked away from briskly; leaving me alone.

All alone.

IkutosGirl: Aww you two make such cute emos!~

Bakura and Ryou: We aren't emos! D:

IkutosGirl: You're right calling you emo would be offensive to emo people everywhere.

Bakura: Why you little-!

IkutosGirl: Little what? Are you trying to _threaten _me Bakura?

Bakura: That's **exactly** what I'm doing. *lunges at IkutosGirl*

Ryou: You guys, calm down...please...calm down! *starts crying*

Bakura: *freezes*

IkutosGirl: Bakura, he's got nothing on you.

Bakura: Grr...


	8. Chapter 7

IkutosGirl: Who likes chocolate pudding?

Ryou: What are you-?

IkutosGirl: What about vanilla, or maybe tapioca?

Bakura: Now you're just bein-!

IkutosGirl: Do you even _like_ pudding? Well cast your votes because it IS an important question, but I won't tell any of you yet why!~

Ryou: You are so random...Disclaimer: Alysia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Bakura: *coughthankracough*

Ryou's POV

I sat on the couch with my legs on the edge, hugged by my arms. I shouldn't have told him. What had I been thinking?

"All right, Ryou, I called Joey and Tristan." Yami announced, walking back into the room.

I stared at Yami in shock. He...he... "You were only calling someone?" I cried and ran to Yami, hugging him. "Thank you!"

Yami looked down at me in surprise. "Thank you? For what?"

"For not hating me! I thought you thought that I was a bad person and you left in disgust!" Tears were spilling from the corners of my eyes.

Suddenly Yami lost a few inches and I landed face-first on the floor due to the awkward shift. I recomposed myself and stood up quickly. Yugi struggled not to laugh and apologized quietly before grabbing my arm. He then led us to the door, opening it as quickly as he could, and we went down the stairs; waiting on the lawn.

"Yugi, why are we out here on the lawn?" I asked curiously.

Yugi smiled at me. "You know how Yami said he called Joey and Tristan?" I nodded and Yugi continued. "Well they're going to come over here with Joey's dad's car and we're going to go find Bakura."

We were going to find Bakura...

I rocketed myself at Yugi. "Thank you so much!" I cried in joy.

I forced myself to be as happy as could be because I knew there was a small part of me that was terrified to see Bakura. What if he hated me? What if he thought I was disgusting? What if wished that I was dead? And if he had his own body he wouldn't need me any-!

"Joey!" Yugi yelled waving to his friend as he pulled up to the curb.

My train of thought was cut off and I stood up with Yugi; dusting off my pants. We made our way to the beat up car in front of us, some parts of it completely unidentifiable due to rust and aging. Yugi noticed my wariness of entering the car.

"It's okay Ryou, it's clean." Yugi assured me.

I sighed in relief and entered the back of the car along with Yugi, whispering a silent hello to Joey and Tristan.

"Alright Yug', where to go?" Joey asked, turning his attention to us.

Yugi looked thoughtful but shrugged. "I have no clue." Then Yugi turned to me. "Do you have any idea Ryou?"

"Me?" I asked, surprised and nearly squeaking. "Umm...we could try checking the local motel's first..."

Joey looked at me. "Does... Bakura even have any money?" He said Bakura's name with a look of near-disgust on his face, but I tried my best to ignore it.

I pondered on the question for a second. "I actually don't know..." I said trailing off.

Tristan butted in, also turning his head around. "Are you-?"

"WAIT!" I yelled in surprise, everyone jumping in their seats out of surprise.

Yugi looked at me wide eyes. "W-what is it?"

"Don't start the car." I demanded as I climbed out and ran back to the apartment.

I opened the door and ran for my room. I forgot I took it off... I sighed in relief as I immediately found the Millennium Ring right where I left it, on my bed. I grabbed it and put it around my neck. A shock ran through my body, and I stood frozen for a second. Regaining my ability to move, I ignored the strange sensation.

I ran back to the car, relocking the door and leaping down the stairs. When I opened the door to the car I speedily sat down in my seat. I was about to buckle my seat belt when I noticed eyes on me; _everyone's eyes._

Joey's, Tristan's, and Yugi's, eyes all expressed one thing: 'WTF'. I sheepishly took in their expressions.

"I forgot it...I didn't want to leave it behind..." I explained silently and everyone attempted to shrug it off.

Joey turned on the car, revving the engine. "Anyways, where are we going first?"

"Malik's house." I said without thinking.

Yugi stared at me in confusion. "But you said..."

I wasn't sure _why_ I said Malik's, but I _did_ and saying 'never mind' would just confuse everyone even more.

"I know, but let's just try it first." I reasoned and Joey put the car in drive.

Malik's POV

I closed Bakura's door on my way out of his room quietly. I sighed instantly and put my hand against my frantically beating chest. I began to walk downstairs, trying to escape the strange aura of fear around Bakura's room. Why was I so scared?

"_Because he's a terrifying person."_

I considered Marik's statement. After all, Bakura was acting very strange.

"_Hey, Marik..."_ I began through our mind link.

Marik groaned internally. _"What is it now?"_

"_Umm..."_ I began, twiddling my thumbs. _"Could you tell me more about Bakura...?"_

Marik groaned again. _"Why?"_

"_I'm just worried about him! Like Ryou, Bakura never talks about him and what if it's bothering him or something?" _I cried.

"_Malik, calm down."_ Marik said, sounding annoyed. _"Maybe Ryou and Bakura don't care about each other anymore."_

I let a small gasp escape my lips. _"You don't really think that do you? I bet Bakura secretly misses Ryou and Ryou is missing Bakura." _

"_Have you been on that 'fan fiction' website again? I swear Malik I'm gonna-!"_

Suddenly a loud bang resounded through the house, a clear sign that someone was at the door. Marik dropped the conversation as I went to go answer the door. I opened the door and my eyes widened.

"_Well what do you know..." _Marik mused.

I stood in place with my mouth agape. "Ryou?"

Ryou had a sheepish smile on his face. Behind him were Joey, Tristan, and Yugi who seemed to be arguing about something quietly. I'm pretty sure I caught Joey saying something like 'why do I have to be here'.

Ryou awkwardly raised his hand halfway, waving it. "H-hey, Malik."

IkutosGirl: Shame on you Malik; reading fan fiction!

Malik: What? They're really interesting...

Marik: I told him to stay away from them.

Malik: Please, you used to read them too!

Marik: No-no I didn't...

Malik: :P Caught ya.


	9. Chapter 8

IkutosGirl: Houston, we have a problem.

Ryou: ...that reference made no sense.

IkutosGirl: Yes it does! You see, I'm starting school in about a week and I wanted to know if my viewers would be okay with me updating once a week until I get used to my school routine again.

Bakura: Ah, that makes more sense.

IkutosGirl: Thank you! See Ryou, Bakura understands.

Ryou: *ignores* Alysia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh and if she did every episode would contain a reference that makes no sense.

IkutosGirl: Hey-!

Ryou: Enjoy the chapter!~

Ryou's POV

I stood awkwardly in front of my friends as I waved and said hello to Malik. Malik just stood there shocked when suddenly his face took on an expression that could only be read as 'shut-the-hell-up'. Did he mean me?

I dropped my hand back to my side suddenly and clamped my mouth shut. Malik noticed and put two and two together.

"Oh Ryou! Umm...hi...and come in!~" Malik ushered me inside and turned his attention back to Joey, Yugi, and Tristan. "You guys can come in too if you want." He said blandly and turned back to me smiling.

I smiled back at Malik, but secretly I was very confused. Did Malik have something against Yugi and the others? Whether he did or not, I would find out because they took the offer and walked inside too before shutting the front door behind them.

Malik brought us all to the center of the living room and motioned at the multiple seats that we could sit in. I sat in the one closest to me, not really caring if it ended up being an uncomfortable chair (thankfully, it was indeed comfy). I settled myself as the others sat down as well. Malik took the seat next to me and turned his head my way.

"So what brings you here, Ryou?" Malik asked.

My eyes widened even though it was an obvious question. "I'm here...I'm here because..." I couldn't find my voice and thankfully Yugi finished the sentence for me.

"We were wondering if you've seen Bakura." Yugi asked, trying to sound polite yet demanding at the same time; it strangely worked.

Malik's POV

"Bakura?" I asked and Yugi nodded along with Ryou.

"_Hikari, don't tell them."_

Hikari? Marik only called me Hikari when a situation was truly tense. _"Why not?"_

"_Now is the not the time for Bakura to be exposed to any more Millennium Items." _Marik answered.

"_But Ryou..." _Just then did I notice what Marik meant.

Ryou had the Millennium Ring with him, Yugi had the Millennium Puzzle, and I still had the Millennium Rod hanging from a loop in my pants.

"_See what I mean?" _Marik asked, sounding smug.

I sighed. _"I do. But-"_

"_But?" _Marik nearly yelled at me.

"_I'm telling Ryou; only Ryou."_ I looked at Yugi and then at Ryou.

"I'm sorry, Yugi. But I haven't." I finally replied, hoping my late reply hadn't been too noticeable.

I turned to Ryou but his head was hanging. I was about to attempt to comfort him when suddenly Joey stood up.

"Well I guess there's no reason for us to be here." He muttered as he stretched his arms.

Tristan stood up as well and followed Joey as they made their way to the door. Yugi looked torn on what to do but I gave him a small smile and he stood up too.

"Well, umm thank you Malik for your hospitality..." Yugi said, trying his best not to trip over his own words. "You coming, Ryou?"

"I'll stay."

Yugi looked at Ryou in shock. "W-why?"

Ryou shrugged, lifting his head finally, showing eyes that weren't the least bit saddened. "It's been awhile since I've seen Malik." Then Ryou turned to me. "Can I stay the night here?"

Oh my... _"What am I supposed to do know?"_ I screamed in my head.

Marik sighed. _"Malik, if Ryou stays the night he's bound to find Bakura. Obviously you should say no unless you intend for them to meet."_

I tried to think things over. If Ryou stayed there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Marik was wrong; it would be a miracle if they didn't see each other. Still...was it such a bad thing if they were to? Also, did Ryou really only want to stay to catch up with me? It seemed strange...

I sighed yet again. "Of course you can, Ryou!" I cried, trying to sound cheerful.

Ryou hugged me. "Thank you Malik!" Ryou let go of me and turned his attention to Yugi, who had a worried expression on his face.

Suddenly there was an abrupt flash of light and Yugi was no more. My eyes widened. This wasn't good; this wasn't good at all. The Pharaoh...

"_Marik, no!" _ I screamed at him through our mind link. _"Don't you dare!"_

"_It'll be quick, I promise." _And then I was plunged into darkness.

Marik's POV

"Are you sure you want to stay here, Ryou?" The Pharaoh asked. "What about clothing? You didn't bring any." He pointed out.

Ryou shrugged again. "It's only one day. Plus I can just take a shower here; right Mal...ik..." Ryou trailed off once he noticed who I was.

Ryou took a few steps back, but that wasn't a surprise. He didn't really know me and he probably thinks I'm just a crazy person, which I am, but I've learned to keep my cool somewhat. The Pharaoh ran to Ryou's side, putting his arm up in front of him protectively.

"Marik! What are you doing here?" The Pharaoh asked, with an annoyingly loud voice too.

I laughed. "Please, the shadows can't contain me!" I laughed again. "But that's not the issue at hand, is it?"

"What do you mean?" The Pharaoh asked suspiciously.

"What do I mean? Hmm, I suppose I mean that I still wish you dead," I took a pause and the Pharaoh slanted his eyes. "But for now I can't do a thing to you."

The Pharaoh's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't understand..."

I cut him off. "And you don't need to, so please; leave."

The Pharaoh's eyes turned to Ryou and back to me. "I don't trust you." The Pharaoh declared.

This was getting annoying.

IkutosGirl: Okay people, don't forget about my question from above, because if you don't answer I may not end up updating at all...*mischievous glint*

Ryou: You are so-

IkutosGirl: Diabolical? Evil?

Ryou: I was actually going for annoying, but whatever.

IkutosGirl: You-you mean that? T^T

Bakura: Oh come on, you know he doesn't...

IkutosGirl: Thanks 'Kura. *sniffling*

Bakura: _'Kura? Okaaaay. _No problem *inches away*


	10. Chapter 9

IkutosGirl: Guess who's birthday is today~

Ryou: ...

IkutosGirl: Ryou... ^.^;

Ryou: ...wait...is it mine? It is! Yay!~ Bakura isn't this- Bakura?

Bakura: *sulking*

Ryou: What's wrong Bakura?

Bakura: ...I don't have a birthday, and even if I did I don't remember it...

Ryou: It's okay; we'll share my Birthday!~ ^.^

Bakura: R-Ryou...thank you...

IkutosGirl: Yay for fluffy happy endings! Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Ryou's POV

Yami stood in front of me protectively as he argued with Marik. I wanted to tell them both to stop, I really did, but Marik...let's just say he makes me feel uneasy. Marik groaned with annoyance again and shot a glare at me.

"A little help? You want to stay, don't you?" Marik asked.

I just stared in front of me as I considered. I did want to stay, but Marik...

"Okay, how about a deal?" Marik asked, the question being directed at both Yami and me.

Yami slanted his eyes again. "What kind of 'deal'?"

"I'll switch with Malik and let him take the lead from here on out." Marik explained. "But you have to leave now. I'm getting sick just looking at you."

Yami was about to take another step towards Marik when I pulled him back.

"Do you promise, Marik?" I asked.

Marik stared at me in disbelief. "Promise? What are you, seven? I don't 'promise' anything; you just have to take my word for it."

"Promise and I'll stay." I attempted to compromise.

Marik opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Yami cut him off. "Ryou! You still want to spend some time here even though _Marik_ is still alive?"

The way Yami had said Marik's name had even bothered me, to an extent, so I wasn't surprised when Marik lashed out.

"What the hell gives you the right to say my name like that?" Marik yelled with anger.

Yami's glare intensified. "I have the right to call you whatever, and however, I want!"

Marik crossed the distance between us. "The only thing you have the right to is death!"

I was about to attempt to stop them when I heard a door slam from upstairs.

Bakura's POV

_What the hell?_

Marik was screaming downstairs with another person, whose voice I couldn't quite put my finger on, and damnit I wanted to go to sleep.

I slammed the door behind me, not caring if I damaged it and trudged down the stairs. I lowered my gaze in annoyance, hoping that when I reached Marik raising my head would have a dramatic effect.

When I reached the floor I noticed the annoying screaming had stopped. I raised my gaze, just like planned, but instead of Marik I found Malik staring at me with wide eyes. That stupid Marik must have ran away then! I raised my head fully and that's when I noticed the people standing next to Malik.

My mouth barely went slack, my equivalent of it going agape. Seeing the Pharaoh made me furious, but seeing Ryou...I wasn't sure what to feel. I turned my eyes back to Malik.

"Malik," I began and Malik's eyes widened a bit more. "What in Ra's name is going on?"

I tried to keep my voice steady, but I knew the words came out as harsh as ever. Malik looked at Ryou, then the Pharaoh, and back at me.

"Well, umm...you see..." Malik tried to answer but to no avail.

I closed my eyes and pinched my nose in annoyance. Suddenly I felt someone grab me and my eyes shot open.

Ryou's eyes looked up at me; shining with tears. He tightened his hug around me and I dropped my arms to my side, unsure of what to do.

"Ryou..." I began, but trailed off.

Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and buried his head in my chest. Still considering what I should do, I involuntarily raised my hand and began to stroke Ryou's hair.

Finally I sighed, and slowly removed Ryou from around my torso. "Ryou, what are you doing here." I asked, placing my hands on his shoulders.

Ryou's lower lip trembled. "I missed you!" He cried and attempted to hug me again but I held him back.

"Ryou..." What was I supposed to say now?

I let out an aggravated sigh again and Ryou looked at me again.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked quietly.

Was I? A part of me was thrilled to see Ryou again, but in the back of my mind I knew it was a bad idea for him to be near me.

I looked over Ryou's head and gave Malik a look asking 'what-the-hell-do-I-do'. Unfortunately he wasn't much help, for he had tears streaming from his eyes too. Malik patted his heart and smiled.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I turned to the Pharaoh, no matter how much I didn't want to, and gave him the same look. Surprisingly, he actually looked like he was thinking, but alas, after he shrugged; giving up. Nice help he was.

I turned my attention back to Ryou who was still expecting an answer. I stumbled on my words while I thought about what to say.

"I'm not...mad at you..." I finally said, giving into the thrilled part of me. "But please, stop crying."

Ryou's face grew a small smile and he wiped away his tears with his arms.

"No problem." Ryou said as he sniffled.

I looked down at Ryou, the corner of mouth twitching upwards. I looked back over at the Pharaoh and Malik. The Pharaoh looked somewhat pleased and Malik was still trying to stop his joyous tears from falling.

"Well, I guess Ryou can stay here tonight then." The Pharaoh piped up.

I gave him a questioning look but he ignored it and made his way to the door. He opened it and turned around to say goodbye. As he turned back to the door I noticed the glinting object around his neck.

Then the ringing began.

IkutosGirl: And I'm sad to say, but this is the last double-chapter-week until things are sorted out.

Ryou: But do not fear people! Alysia has a habit to feel guilty so she's going to try to double the word count of the chapters!

IkutosGirl: It may not sound like it makes sense, but when I'm typing things just begin to flow!~ It will take less time for me to write the chapters this way!~

Bakura: ...is there cake?

IkutosGirl: Umm...what?

Bakura: I want cake for my birthday!

IkutosGirl: Er, alright then; you can have cake, and so can anyone who reviews this chapter! ^.^;

Ryou: *coughdesperatecough* _


	11. Chapter 10

IkutosGirl: I was trying to decide what day I should upload chapters, but I couldn't...

Ryou: Alysia is very indecisive.

Bakura: And cranky...

IkutosGirl: _ Anyways, I was thinking Saturdays, but like I said I'm not sure...

Ryou: Then why did you post this chapter on a Sunday?

IkutosGirl: Because I'm not sure! _No one understands me!_

Bakura: ... *awkward silence* I'm tired.

Malik's POV

As the Pharaoh made his way to the door I nearly squealed to myself. That had been so _beautiful!_ It was so heartwarming when Ryou hugged Bakura!

"Malik..." Marik groaned, obviously annoyed by my reaction, but I ignored him.

Nothing could ruin this moment! It was so nice...and...

"Bakura?" Ryou asked, worry flooding his voice.

I turned my head towards Bakura; already knowing what was happening but wanting to deny it anyways. Bakura had let go of Ryou in order to clutch his head in his hands. I urgently took my first step towards Bakura.

"_No."_ Marik's voice rang in my head, making pause before my second step. _"We don't know what will happen."_

I replied aloud, to frantic to speak through the mind link. "So we should just let it play out itself?"

"_Exactly."_ Marik answered.

I turned my head to the Pharaoh who had noticed Bakura's...state...and was pausing by the door, staring at Ryou as if he was in danger.

"_That's the Pharaoh, never trusting and always worried for no reason."_ Marik commented as I turned my gaze back to Ryou and Bakura.

Ryou had his back turned to me and he was trying to get Bakura to say something to him; to at least reply. I returned my gaze back to the Pharaoh who had walked away from the door and was at least a few steps closer to me, and the others, now.

What was I supposed to do?

"_Well last time you tried to help Bakura tried to kill you."_ Marik answered my rhetorical question.

I groaned. "He wasn't trying to kill me!" This was frustrating me now; I needed to do something!

Marik scoffed at me. _"You're right, and that murderous stare he gave you was supposed to mean 'I love you'. Be realistic, hikari!"_ Again with the hikari...was this situation really that bad?

Alright what had my counselor told me to do when I get frantic...that's it! I'm supposed to form a mental to do list!

First, I have to decide, do I walk over to Bakura or the Pharaoh? ...Bakura; definitely. I began walking towards Bakura and Marik began to scream at me, but I tried my best to tune him out.

Secondly, what do I do when I reach him? Pull Ryou away and keep Millennium Rod out of sight? That sounded like a plan.

Unfortunately, Marik managed to break my concentration. _"Don't do this."_

"You can't stop me." And he couldn't.

No matter how dramatic or unreasonable I was being Marik couldn't do a damn thing about it anymore. This was _my _body and _I_ was in control of it. I reached Bakura and blocked out Marik once again.

"Ryou...can you be quite for a moment?" I attempted to ask politely as I moved my Millennium Rod from my right belt loop to my back one.

Ryou turned to me, surprisingly with dry eyes. "What's wrong with Bakura?" He asked, his voice filled with dread. "Do you know?"

I placed my hand on Ryou's shoulder but shook my head. I tugged on him, signaling him to walk away for a moment. Ryou looked back at Bakura but tore away and took a few steps back with me.

"Look, this happened before, in fact, it was only earlier today." I began to explain and Ryou nodded fervently. "To make a long story short: Bakura got upset. I followed him to his room and walked in to find Bakura clutching his head. Then things progressed from there and became worse. That is until Bakura suddenly regained his composure and forced me to leave the room."

Ryou stared at me with wide eyes, but they were distant. He was thinking hard about something, that much was certain. His eyes were narrowed in deep thought; ironically, they kind of resembled Bakura's a bit that way.

Then, Ryou finished thinking and I broke my train of thought. Ryou stared at me purposefully.

"Who have you considered?"

I stared at Ryou in shock. 'Who had I considered?' What did that mean?

"I'm sorry, I don't follow..." I trailed off and involuntarily lowered my head a bit sheepishly.

Surprisingly enough, Ryou grabbed my chin and lifted my head so that he could focus on my eyes. "Who, or what, do you think is behind this? Do you think they have motive? Do you think it's someone we know?" Ryou asked, his voice sounding as steady as ever.

The questions reeled in my head. I couldn't believe Ryou had already considered so much!

"Don't you think you're jumping to any conclusions?" I asked and Ryou shook his head forcefully.

Okay then, we had somewhere to start now.

Yami's POV

This was ridiculous! What was Bakura doing now?

I began to walk towards Bakura and away from the door when I noticed Malik was talking with Ryou about something. They both seemed very upset, not that I could blame them, I was upset too. But how could they be chatting amongst themselves while Bakura was standing by himself while clutching his head? Even I felt bad for him...

I changed route and began to walk towards Malik and Ryou instead. Maybe they knew something I didn't.

"Someone we know...probably not..." Malik whispered to Ryou as I walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Malik, do you know what's going on?" I asked, my voice drenched with worry and the despair of not knowing how I could help.

Malik glared at me. "I'm busy actually doing something." He then turned back to Ryou as they began to talk quickly again.

I groaned and considered the option of simply going up to Bakura and assessing the problem from there. After all the pain had to be pretty intense if Bakura was cringing at it.

Alright then, that was my plan; confront the problem head on.

Ryou's POV

"So the Millennium Items are affecting him too?" I asked and Malik replied with a yes.

"And we shouldn't let him see them either. When he saw mine he didn't take it well..." Malik continued and I gave him a questioning glance.

Malik just gave me a look that screamed 'I'll-explain-later' so I shrugged it off.

"We should tell Yami, shouldn't we?" I asked.

Malik replied immediately. "Definitely."

I turned around, expecting to find Yami near me but my heart skipped a beat when I saw him making his way over to Bakura. My eyes shifted between their two figures. Yami had the Millennium Puzzle hanging boldly around his neck and Bakura was still clutching his head in pain.

"Oh shit..." Malik cursed. "I have to stop this."

With that Malik left my side and reached Yami's just in time for Bakura to raise his glance. Before Bakura could say a word I ran over to him.

"Bakura are you okay?" I asked fervently.

Bakura moved his eyes to mine. "Get away from me."

What?

"Didn't you hear me? _Move._"

"B-Bakura, what-?"

"You are so annoying." Bakura shoved me aside and I fell to the floor, stunned.

None of this made any sense...what was going on? I couldn't comprehend a thing. I felt someone support my back into a sitting position. I turned my head towards the person helping me up, Marik.

I opened my mouth to ask Marik what was happening when he put his pointer finger against his lips, signaling me to stay quiet. I gulped, but nodded my head as I closed my mouth. Marik pulled away from me and stood up. I followed his serious gaze to Bakura.

Bakura was walking towards Yami, while Yami held a defensive stance and had his hand hovering over his jean's pocket where his deck was. Bakura's glare was cold, and I was overcome with the feeling to just _run away_.

Those eyes...they haunted me. The eyes that had cut my arm, they eyes that had locked me away, the eyes that had chained my soul away and nearly broken it; they had been Bakura's eyes. But Bakura had changed after the duel atop the Kaiba Corp Blimp when he saved me, and then, they weren't his eyes anymore. His eyes became warmer and they shone with light that had never graced them before.

But now his eyes only shone with their ice cold stare.

I wanted to look away, but it was like as if Bakura was surrounded by the air of a god. He suddenly looked stronger, more powerful; more confident. Unfortunately, strength did not come without a price and each of Bakura's steps left shadows that no one else could see but me.

My eyes finally lost their sight on Bakura when Marik stepped in the way. He crossed his arms over his chest as Bakura reached Yami.

I wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe Bakura was going to curse at Yami, duel him, or maybe even hit him. What happened was something that had not even crossed my mind.

I could barely see Bakura's eyes, but I knew they were filled with rage and my heart pounded in my chest. Still, Bakura didn't act in any way that could be attributed to anger.

"Your Puzzle will be mine." Bakura stated matter-of-factly and he tapped the eye in the center of the Item with his fingernail. "And then I'll probably kill you."

Yami was taken aback by Bakura's actions and he immediately pulled the Puzzle to his chest as he took a step away from Bakura.

"What's gotten into you Bakura?" Yami asked, his voice teetering on the edge of anger as well.

Bakura's small smirk widened and he showed his canines. "'What's gotten into me?' I suppose you could say revenge, but that would be cliché, no?"

"I'm not playing games with you Bakura!" Yami roared and Bakura's smirk vanished as it was replaced with a grimace.

"I was going to let it slide the first time," Bakura nearly growled the words as he took a step towards Yami and grabbed his shirt, pulling him by the collar to him. "But it seems you don't know the proper way to address someone who is a king, Pharaoh."

Yami stared at Bakura with eyes widened by fear and confusion. "What do you mean Bakura, you are no 'king'?"

"Am I not? If getting everything you want is all there is to being a king, then as the King of Thieves, I am truly the king of kings!" Bakura laughed, his voice bouncing through the room in deep echoes.

Yami eyes slanted slightly as he put his hand on Bakura's fist. "_You are no king_, Bakura! Now let go of me at once."

Instead, Bakura's grip only tightened on Yami's collar, effectively choking him. "Oh, but I _am_."

Yami moved his other hand to Bakura's fist as well as he tried to pry himself out of the hold.

"I...said...let...go..." Yami choked in-between his words and Bakura's smirk returned at full force.

"I'll comply this once, but only because if this is the best that you can do, then I've already won." And with that Bakura dropped Yami as he landed on his back.

Yami groaned in pain, and Marik finally moved from in front of me to Yami's side. Surprisingly enough, Marik extended his hand and helped Yami up, no matter how grudgingly he did so.

Bakura stared at the two in disgust but turned toward the front door. He made his way leisurely to the door before he turned his head over his shoulder and his eyes settled on me.

"Are you coming or not, Ryou?"

IkutosGirl: Let me get this straight Bakura; you _shoved Ryou_ to the _ground_, but you want him to _come with you_?

Bakura: Pretty much.

IkutosGirl: *sigh* You lack common sense. Ryou would never go with you, right Ryou?

Ryou: ...maybe...

IkutosGirl: I take it back, you _both_ have _no_ common sense whatsoever!

Author's Note!:

I am so sorry this chapter took me about 2 weeks to be post! _ Here's my explanation:

_A wild School appeared. _

_School used Homework._

_It's super effective!_

And that's my excuse, but yet I still feel really guilty about this all, so could you all find it in your hearts to forgive me? T^T I hate it when I let myself and my readers down.


	12. Chapter 11

IkutosGirl: See! I uploaded this one only a day late!

Bakura: Yeah, _only_.

IkutosGirl: You know what-!

Ryou: Hey, calm down! Umm... did anyone notice there was no disclaimer last chapter?

IkutosGirl and Bakura: :|

Ryou: Wha-?

IkutosGirl: ...You know what Bakura-!

Ryou: *groans* You guys are so hopeless!

Yami's POV

As Marik surprisingly helped me up I barely caught Bakura's words. Both Marik and I snapped our heads in Bakura's direction in utter shock. Had I heard him correctly? Marik also had a confused look on his face, and that had to mean something, right?

Bakura held an emotionless expression on his face and I turned my head to Ryou who was staring with wide eyes at Bakura.

Ryou's eyes said it all.

He _wanted_ to go with Bakura, or at least a part of him did. I could easily see conflict after conflict flash across Ryou's face as he ran the words through his head over and over and over again. Ryou's eyes flickered from the floor to Bakura's face before they quickly returned to the floor once more.

I noticed that Marik was still holding my hand and I hastily pried it off of mine, but Marik took little notice. He looked like he was mulling over something important while he kept his eyes glued to Ryou. The way he looked at Ryou...I knew that it wasn't really him looking over Ryou but Malik; Marik could never manage such compassion.

To prove my point Marik managed to break his eyes away from Ryou to glare at Bakura. Under his breath I heard him mutter 'shut up', but whether it was directed towards Bakura or someone else I would never know because Marik's hair lost its massive edge as it fell and shortened, along with other multiple features.

Bakura was tapping his foot against the floor impatiently already and his eyes just barely slanted more as he sneered at no one in particular. "Ryou."

Ryou jumped at Bakura's voice and he looked back up at him, only to fail again and look down once more. Malik inched away from me but stopped when Bakura abruptly spoke again.

"_Ryou,_" Bakura said his name again, but this time it was soaked with annoyance. "_Are you coming or not?_"

Ryou turned his eyes to Malik and me, searching for an answer. I couldn't say anything except try to yell through my eyes a resounding 'no', but Malik still had his voice.

"Don't look at me or the Pharaoh, Ryou, this is all you."

I turned to Malik in shock. I had been under the impression that he was scared for Ryou and had been inching towards him in order to somehow protect him. My eyes met Malik's and for the first time in a long time I was met with hard, violet eyes that were solid with strength.

I was taken aback by Malik's change in attitude in general; he had seemed so...carefree. But this was a stronger Malik, one that I was much more acquainted with than the 'happier' one. I realized I was staring and so did Malik.

"Could you not stand so close to me..." Malik complained to me quietly and I took a step back.

Malik nodded me a thanks and we returned our attention to Bakura and Ryou. Ryou was still on the floor although he had prompted to rest his head in his hands while Bakura was increasingly growing agitated by the second.

I myself was completely lost on the matter.

Ryou's POV

I hid my head in my hands as I tried to think.

Bakura wanted me to go with him, but this wasn't _my_ Bakura. This was the Bakura that had willingly cut me, and that made all the difference.

Already my head was clearly telling me to say no, but a part of me wanted nothing more than to stand up and walk out with Bakura. I knew that I shouldn't be considering this though; this shouldn't have taken so long to decide on.

I lifted my head from my palms and shakily stood up. Naturally, I thought that Malik was going to run to my side to help me, but he stood in place with a calculating stare.

I shivered a bit, but not because I was afraid, but because 'this' Malik was _strong_ and not nearly as compassionate as the one who had helped me just minutes ago. Still, Malik was my friend and I could see that he wasn't trying to be mean to me or rude, no, he was trying to help me form an opinion by myself for once.

Now that I was standing up straight I felt...nervous, or maybe awkward. Either way, I was rubbing my arm where my scar was, like I did whenever I felt this way.

"Bakura, I..." I began but trailed off, still not sure whether I was going or not.

Bakura spoke up. "Look Ryou, you have the Millennium Ring and I need it," Bakura took a pause and my eyes brightened in anticipation to what he was going to say. "This, naturally, means I need you."

Malik's POV

I had to stay strong now, strong for Ryou and even strong for the Pharaoh, who was shaking even more than Ryou. But then Bakura said something, and I knew what was going to happen. I dropped my façade, not really caring how the Pharaoh would react.

"Ryou-!" I yelled to him, but Ryou's eyes were wide and they were bright.

He had completely fallen for Bakura's trap.

"Bakura...do you mean it..." Ryou asked quietly.

Bakura scoffed. "Would I lie to you, Ryou?"

I stared with awe at what was unfolding in front of my eyes. Any sane person would reply 'yes' without a second thought but the way Bakura said the words...even I would have to think about it.

"Ryou, look at me!" I called and Ryou turned to me, his face appearing confused, but there was something else there too. "He's not...Bakura's not safe!"

Ryou's round eyes sharpened slightly. "What do you mean?"

"'What do I mean?' I mean he'll hurt you and you know it!" I yelled in frustration.

Now Ryou's eyes slanted drastically. "Oh really? How do you know he hasn't changed?"

I tried to hide the anger in my voice. "People don't change just like that."

Ryou's mouth twitched at the corners. "You are such a hypocrite!" Now Ryou was trying not to laugh. "What about _Marik_?"

My eyes widened when I realized I had backed myself into a corner. I turned to the Pharaoh who was looking at Ryou with confused eyes while switching his eyes between Bakura and him. I could see it; he was comparing the two carefully.

The Pharaoh cleared his throat. "Now Ryou, think about this-"

"No. No, I'm done here." And with that Ryou made his way towards Bakura, but instead of stopping beside him he passed by and walked out the door.

For just a second Bakura's eyes locked with mine before he turned to leave too.

I could have imagined it, but in that moment Bakura's eyes looked more crimson than ever and I chill ran down my spine.

"Ryou!" I called after him and tried to take off too when a hand held me back by the shoulder.

"Let him go." The Pharaoh sighed and let go of my shoulder.

My shoulders sagged and I sighed too. "But what if he gets hurt?" I felt so...defeated.

The Pharaoh's mouth lifted at the corners and he grinned slightly. "You mean you didn't see it?"

"See what?" I asked; feeling perplexed.

"In Ryou's eyes," The Pharaoh's grin grew. "There was determination, and strength."

I gaped at the Pharaoh in disbelief and began to rerun the last few minutes through my head. Ryou had taken note of my hint when I had tried to show him that he needed to decide on his own; to grow stronger. Of course, I had also thought that none of that had mattered once Bakura had convinced Ryou to go with him.

What had I missed; a hint from him, a sign?

Ryou's face when Bakura had said those words, it had been confused but there _was_ something else; something I couldn't put my hand on. Then it was as if a light bulb had switched on in my head.

Ryou's face had been secretly confident.

With that in mind I played through what had happened after, some things making more sense now. The way Ryou's eyes had slanted dangerously, I had thought that was insanely out of character, and Ryou knew that too...but Bakura would have approved more than anything, and that was why Ryou had done it.

If Ryou's goal was truly to find the real Bakura, then he needed to win over this one. But Ryou had tried to show me that he was fine. I thought that Ryou had been on the verge of a maniacal-laughing-spree when he had called me a 'hypocrite' but he had really been nearly laughing at how ridiculous he had sounded to himself.

And now I felt stupid; _great._

To help, the Pharaoh was lightly chuckling at me.

"_You need to learn to be more observant_." Marik mused.

I groaned internally at him. "_I know that!_"

Suddenly Marik was standing beside me...well he was floating, but let's not get technical here.

"GAH!" I screamed loudly in shock and the Pharaoh jumped a bit too. "What the hell?"

Marik stared at me with confusion but began laughing. "_I forgot, I've never done this before._"

I continued to look at Marik with my perplexed expression. "Done what?"

"_Materialized in front of you_."

And I just stood there like an idiot.

And half a minute passed.

And then a whole minute was gone.

"...We can _do that?_"

Marik groaned at me. "_I'm proof aren't I?_"

"I suppose...but why didn't you ever tell me this before?" I asked.

Marik looked thoughtful. "_Well, I think that the way things are progressing I may need to keep a close eye on you."_

And with that Marik disappeared again.

Yami's POV

I stared at Malik with more than mild confusion. Malik was fuming now, obviously upset about something. I took a step toward Malik and reached out my hand awkwardly.

"Malik, is something wrong?" I asked, not too sure if I should have in the first place.

Malik gave me a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"Well you were talking to yourself and..." I gave up and sighed; there was no way to explain how _weird_ things had gotten a minute ago.

Malik's eyes widened. "OH!" His face turned red with embarrassment. "That was, umm, well you see Marik he sort of... 'poofed' himself next to me."

Malik rubbed the back of his head with his hand. Finally I understood what Malik was implying.

"Oh, so he materialized in his spirit form?" I asked.

Malik nodded and I resisted laughing. "And he's never done that." Malik shook his head. "Yugi and I do that all the time, it makes conversation and whatnot easier sometimes."

Malik's mouth was shaped like an 'o' and I tilted my head, curious as to why that was a surprise. Malik noticed my expression.

"It's just...the way you said it made it sound so...normal."

I sighed. "Well I suppose for me it is. Didn't you ever do it before?"

Malik looked thoughtful at this and opened his mouth hesitantly. "I suppose I did when we were on the blimp, but I thought that was a side effect because of my staying in Ryou's body..."

Impulsively, my face took on an appalled look, but I dropped it just before Malik looked at me. I wasn't used to hearing things like that.

"Do you suppose Bakura does that a lot too; the 'spirit' thing?" Malik asked innocently.

I sighed again. "I'm not sure about anything that concerns Bakura anymore."

Malik gave me a hard look and for a second I thought he was mad at my comment but then he sighed as well.

"For now, I might just have to agree with you."

IkutosGirl: Woot! I finished it! And for once I followed my outline!

Ryou: You have an outline? I thought you winged it.

IkutosGirl: PFFFFT! Who told you _that_?

Ryou: Er, you.

IkutosGirl: YOU SPEAK LIES!

Ryou: What? No I don't-!

IkutosGirl: _**LIES!**_

Ryou: Okay then...


	13. Chapter 12

IkutosGirl: Hmm...decisions, decisions...

Bakura: **PLEASE! **Do not quote Twilight!

IkutosGirl: ...what's Twilight?

Ryou: *gasp* What? You don't know?

IkutosGirl: ...umm...no...I don't...should I?

Bakura: NO! The horrors... *shudders* ...they're unspeakable.

Ryou's POV

I walked quickly out the front door of Malik's house and I was tempted to breathe a sigh of relief when Malik didn't follow and Bakura did. I slowed my pace and my mind wandered to thoughts about guiltiness.

Was Malik mad at me? What I had said was something that was indeed cruel. If someone had said that to me about Bakura I know that I would be furious; even someone like Yugi would be mad if that was said about Yami.

I shook my head when I noticed I had something more important at hand to deal with: _Bakura_.

Speaking of Bakura, I couldn't help but notice that he was being extremely quiet, and was even going so far as to be trailing behind me.

Bakura always liked to be first at _everything; _even walking_._

_Man_, what I would give to turn my head around right now to take a peek at him! Why couldn't I? "Because I was afraid of what I would meet" seems like a reasonable answer.

My eyes turned as far as they could, until they ached from the pressure. Still, I couldn't see Bakura, even out of my peripheral vision. Just when I was about to crack under the stress Bakura spoke up.

"Ryou," Bakura began and I lost my footing for a second.

I nearly stumbled but caught myself. Too bad my face was beet red; I had to be _the clumsiest_ and most embarrassing person in _the world._

"Yeah?" I responded, barely turning my head, but I still couldn't see him.

"...Why won't you look at me?"

I stopped walking all-together. Had I heard him right? "What was that?" I asked.

Bakura's voice resounded again. "Why won't you look at me?"

I sighed again and turned my head, and body, to face Bakura. I stared at Bakura but my eyes didn't focus on anything in general. All I knew was that Bakura was there.

"Happy?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"No."

My jaw nearly dropped. "What? Why not?"

"Look me in the eyes then." Bakura demanded.

I fidgeted with the corner of my shirt while my gaze dropped to the floor nervously.

"I said my eyes, not the floor." Bakura complained, his tone sounding genuinely y annoyed.

I stopped fidgeting with my shirt. "I know that!" I snapped and my gaze shot up to meet Bakura's.

I immediately regretted it.

Bakura's eyes were like a deep abyss almost; they seemed cold and deep, but there was a bit of light. I moved my eyes hastily away. They landed on Bakura's chest, my face reddened, and they ended up resting on the floor again.

Bakura continued to stand in a pose he must have found comfortable; his arms crossed against his torso while he stood with his feet apart and a tilted head. I myself would never stand like that; it looked like it would become very unpleasant after awhile.

"Ryou," Bakura said my name again and I lost my train of thought. "You trust me, right?"

I stumbled on my words. "W-well...I..."

And then Bakura was standing in front of me. I instinctively lifted my head. His face was close to mine as he leaned over. Suddenly I wished to be much taller.

"Well what?" I could feel Bakura's breath on my skin and it took all the strength I had not to look away once more.

Avoiding Bakura's eyes, I stared at his cheek. It made for awkward situation, but it was better than seeing into a bottomless hole of nothing.

"I...I want to..." I replied, my voice quiet.

Bakura chuckled. "Then why don't you?"

Why didn't I? I think the best answer would be 'Well, you frikkin stabbed me; oh yeah, and thanks for the scar.' But I could never say that aloud. The thought of what kind of emotion that could spark in Bakura scared me.

"Because..." I lost my voice when I realized I had only one way to finish the sentence: I'm scared. "Because... I-I'm..."

I couldn't do it. I was here to help Bakura, not dig myself into a hole!

I barely tilted my head upwards and met Bakura's hard irises that felt like they could bore holes into me. I took a deep breath.

"Because I'm not sure who you are; I'm not sure if you're trustworthy." Once the words left my mouth I felt more confident. "I'm not about to trust someone who could kill me in a second flat."

The words left chills running down my spine, but they rang more true than anything else I had ever said. I still kept my gaze locked with Bakura's too; I was storming and breaking records today, wasn't I?

Predictably, Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Bakura's POV

Did Ryou really think this? That I would actually _kill_ him? The only reason I could think of that was that if he betrayed me, or tried to keep the Millennium Ring to himself, but the reasons still amounted to the same thing.

Suddenly, I blinked my eyes that I had narrowed in anger seconds ago. So I _would_ kill him? I had to be honest; I didn't see that one coming.

The thought of hurting Ryou...it pained me, but I couldn't remember why. Something had happened, that much was true, but whatever had happened was hidden behind a cloudy veil in my mind. I couldn't even remember this afternoon, nonetheless.

"_All that matters is revenge."_

I nearly groaned, from annoyance mostly. That voice, was it mine or not? It was so clear in my head, but when I tried to think about it the ringing would come back, and sometimes that bothered me even more than the whispers in my mind.

By now I knew I had been contemplating things for too long. Ryou was staring at me still, but with a near-bewildered expression on his face.

"Bakura, are you alright?" Ryou asked, sounding genuinely concerned and I thought I felt a pang in my chest. "You look a bit... troubled."

I internally sighed; I would have to get this over with eventually anyways.

"Troubled?" I moved my head to Ryou's ear, whispering now. "Do I _really_?"

Ryou stood rigid and stiff and a smirk flew onto my face. I got him.

Ryou took a long step away from me, backing away. He was in his routine by now; pull away, take a few deep breaths, keep a steady voice, and confront the problem (the problem being me at the moment). Whenever Ryou became nervous or anxious, this was his to do list.

Since he was already taking his deep breaths I knew what was come to next, 'make his voice heard'. Expectedly, Ryou opened his mouth to speak.

And then he closed it.

The he opened it again.

It shut once more.

A smirk continued to play on my face. Never before had I managed to break one of his routines; he was always so 'OCD'. I closed the gap between us once again and my eyes flashed with amusement.

"Are you that worried about me?" I asked, my voice sounding more than appealing.

And no sooner than the words left my mouth Ryou's face erupted with red. I chuckled and pulled away from him. My back was turned to him now and I couldn't help but chuckle again. I heard Ryou sigh from behind me and I turned my head his way, feeling curious.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Ryou asked, his hair covering his eyes.

I raised my eyebrows. "Doing what?"

Ryou swept the hair out of his face and his eyes shone with tears. "Teasing me."

A faint pang hit my heart again, and every time a heartbeat pulsed through me the pang came again. _'Why did I keep doing that?'_ The question rang in my head. _'Teasing me.' _The words hurt too.

I felt complied to reply, but there was no way I could respond. It was clear now that what I had done was wrong, but yet I still couldn't see _why_ I should be sorry about it.

I focused my attention on Ryou. I might as well tell him an empty excuse to get this over with already. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth...but promptly shut it.

Ryou was crying, and my head was ringing.

Ryou's POV

It felt so wrong, but I had to.

I forced just a few more tears to fall. If acting tough didn't faze Bakura then I would just have to tackle this from a different approach. Not that it was hard to cry right now, Bakura's words had definitely hurt. But this time, there was a difference; I only cried when things felt like they were falling apart, but right now I did _not_ feel that way.

Sure things were more than tough right now, and I was horribly aching now, but I could still support myself. So why was I crying? Because the Bakura I _knew_ would stop the tears.

Things had begun to look up to when Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but now...what was I supposed to do?

Bakura was clutching his head again, his eyes shut and tightly closed.

"Bakura..." My voice trembled, both from my tears and fear.

I couldn't help Bakura earlier, so what was I supposed to do know? When Bakura didn't respond to my voice I inched closer to him. I hesitated when Bakura stuck his hand out to me, palm forward.

"Don't come near me." Bakura growled and I wavered even more.

My voice was caught in my throat, but I coughed it up. "B-but...Bakura-"

"I said _don't come near me_!" Bakura emphasized his words this time.

Now I was frozen still. "Bakura, please!" I cried. "Let me help you!" I pleaded still.

Bakura's hand was the only thing that separated us. I stared at it and finally I just let go of any plans I had. I grabbed Bakura's hand and pulled him to me. I heard a small and rough gasp escape his lips while he sailed towards me.

I caught Bakura in a hug and sighed as I lowered his arm down. "You trust _me,_ right?" I echoed Bakura's words.

Bakura was silent and I pushed him off me lightly. I made sure there was a comfortable space between us.

"Let's go home for now." I said quietly and grabbed Bakura's hand.

I was prepared to drag him along with me when he whispered quietly. "Home?"

I felt like laughing, but held it in. "Yeah, 'home'." I tugged on Bakura's arm.

Surprisingly Bakura allowed me to pull him along, though I did receive a grunt of disapproval. I would have complained about his lack of help at the moment, but he was clutching his head still so I let it slide.

We were going at a steady pace but then I realized something; my apartment was more than a 20 minute walk from where I was at the moment. I groaned and tried to think of a solution. Unfortunately, I found none and continued to walk.

I turned my head to take a peek at Bakura. He was still wincing but he had moved his hand to his side instead of his head.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" I asked softly.

Bakura glanced up at me and grunted. "Yeah...but I'm tired." He complained.

"Me too." I smiled softly, happy that he had replied.

I turned my head forward again and continued to smile lightly; I guess this would have to do for now.

IkutosGirl: And this is chapter 12!~

Ryou: And I managed to calm down Bakura! *happy dance*

Bakura: *grunts*

IkutosGirl: You know, you didn't have much dialogue, and a nice part of it was just onomatopoeia.

Bakura: ...so?

IkutosGirl: See! All you gave was one word!

Ryou: Alysia, just let it drop, ok-?

IkutosGirl: NEVER!

Ryou: Why not?

IkutosGirl: ...because the chickens ate my jalapenos.

Bakura: *sigh*


End file.
